Folding desks



United States Patent 3,191,555 FOLDING DESKS Jonathan Ginat, New York, N.Y., assignor to Maurice Duchin Creations, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 343,360 3 Claims. (Cl. 108-119) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in folding furniture, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a foldable desk such as may be conveniently used as a study desk or to support a typewriter, a sewing machine, or the like. Typewriters and portable sewing machines used in the home are usually required only at periodic intervals and if they are positioned on a conventional desk or table, valuable space is often Wasted when the typewriter or sewing machine is not in use. The present invention eliminates this disadvantage by providing a foldable desk which may be quickly and easily erected to support a typewriter or a sewing machine, but which may be readily folded into a compact form for unobtrusive storage when use thereof is not required.

The folding desk in accordance with the invention is particularly designed to be fabricated from metal rod or tubing, is durable in construction, pleasing in appearance, and lends itself to economical manufacture.

Another feature of the invention resides in providing the top unit of the desk with a perimetric frame which supports a top panel and a convenient shelf below the top panel, and which also serves to mount a pair of foldable leg members of the desk.

With the foregoing more important object and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the folding desk of the invention, shown in its erected position;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top plan view;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 44 in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the desk in its folded position.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the folding desk of the invention is designated generally by the numeral and embodies in its construction a top unit 11 supported by a pair of inverted U- shaped leg members 12 and 13, as will be hereinafter described.

The top unit 11 comprises a continuous perimetric frame 14 such as may be formed from metal rod or tubing, the same being angulated to provide front and rear rails 15, 16, respectively, and a pair of side rails 17 which are connected to the ends of the front and rear rails by upright connecting portions 18, so that the side rails 17 are spaced upwardly from the front and rear rails. Suitable brackets 19 are secured to the underside of the side rails 17 and project inwardly therefrom to support a top panel 20, the latter being substantially coplanar with the side rails and therefore spaced above the front and rear rails 15, 16. A plurality of spaced parallel wire rods 21 are secured to and extend between the front and rear rails 15, 16, thus forming a convenient shelf on which various articles may be stored below the top panel 20, as will be readily apparent.

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Access to the shelf may be had from either the front or the rear of the desk, as well as from the top inasmuch as the ends of the top panel 20 are spaced inwardly from the side rails 17 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. If desired, books may be stood on end on the shelf while projecting upwardly through the spaces between the ends of the top panel 20 and the side rails 17, as indicated by the dotted lines 22 in FIGURE 2.

The U-shaped leg member 12 includes a bight portion 23 which is adjacent to and parallel with the rear rail 16 of the top unit and is rotatably connected thereto as by a pair of curved bars 24 which are secured to the rail 16 and are wrapped around the bight portion 23. The leg member 12 also includes a pair of side portions '25 which constitute a pair of legs, their free extremities being provided with suitable feet, pads, 01' the like, 26. Similarly, the U-shaped leg member 13 includes a bight portion 27 which is adjacent to and parallel with the front rail 15 of the top unit, and a pair of side portions constituting legs 28. The lower end portions of the legs 28 are preferably connected together by a cross bar or brace 29 and the lower extremities of the legs 28 are also equipped with the pads or feet 26, as are the legs 25. The pairs of legs 25, 28 are mutually crossed and pivotally connected together at their point of crossing, as at 30.

A pair of resilient clamp members 31 are secured to and extend below the front rail 15 to releasably engage the bight portion 27 of the leg member 13, as is best shown in FIGURE 4. In effect, the clamp members 31 are in the form of rearwardly opening, resilient hooks, which frictionally hold the bight portion 27 and thus support the entire desk in its erected position. However, when the desk is to be folded, the bight portion 27 is manually pressed out in a rearward direction from the hooks 31, whereupon the leg member 13 is swung about the pivot means 30 so that the bight portion 27 thereof is disposed adjacent the floor and the two leg members 12, 13 assume a compact, substantially fiat form, as shown in FIGURE 5. The entire top unit 11 is then lowered to a folded position in which it is juxtaposed to the folded leg members, such lowering of the top unit being possible by the rotatable connection of the elements 23, 24 as already explained.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a folding desk, the combination of a top unit having front and rear rails, a first inverted U-shaped leg member having a bight portion adjacent to and parallel with the rear rail of said top unit and alsohaving a pair of side portions constituting a first pair of legs,

means rotatably connecting the bight portion of the first leg member to said rear rail, a second inverted U- shaped leg member having a bight portion adjacent to and parallel with the front rail of the top unit and also having a pair of side portions constituting a second pair of legs, the first and second pairs of legs being mutually crossed, pivot means connecting the legs together at their point of crossing, and means for releasably clamping the bight portion of the second leg member to said front rail whereby to support the desk in an erected position, releasing of said clamping means permitting said leg members to be swung together about said pivot means into a substantially fiat form and said top unit to be swung downwardly about said rotatable connecting means to a folded position wherein the top unit is juxtaposed to the folded leg members.

2. A folding desk, comprising in combination a top unit having a continuous perimetric frame including front and rear rails and a pair of side rails spaced upwardly from and connecting said front and rear rails together, a top panel supported by said side rails above the front and rear rails, shelf forming means supported by said front and rear rails below said top panel, a first inverted U-shaped leg member having a bight portion adjacent to and parallel with the rear rail of said top unit and also having a pair of side portions constituting a first pair of legs, means rotatably connecting the bight portion of the first leg member to said rear rail, a second inverted U-shaped leg member having a bight portion adjacent to and parallel with the front rail of the top unit and also having a pair of side portions constituting a second pair of legs, the first and second pairs of legs being mutually crossed, pivot means connecting the legs together at their point of crossing, and means releasably clamping the bight portion of the second leg member to said front rail whereby to support the desk in an erected position, releasing of said clamping means permitting said leg members to be swung together about said pivot means into a substantially flat form and said top unit to be swung downwardly about said rotatable connecting means to a folded position wherein the top unit is juxtaposed to the folded leg members.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said top panel has end edges spaced inwardly from said side rails, and inwardly projecting bracket means provided on said side rails, said top panel being secured to said bracket means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,514,735 7/50 Wilson et al 108119 2,871,075 1/59 Stone 108119 2,965,424 12/60 Baney 108125 X 3,071,423 1/63 Spadaru 108119 3,080,202 3/63 Franzene 108119 X 3,083,066 3/63 Bedol 108119 X 3,103,900 9/63 Lirrman 1081 19 3,139,845 7/ 64 Kolinski 108119 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A FOLDING DESK, THE COMBINATION OF A TOP UNIT HAVING FRONT AND REAR RAILS, A FIRST INVERTED U-SHAPED LEG MEMBER HAVING A BIGHT PORTION ADJACENT TO AND PARALLEL WITH THE REAR RAIL OF SAID TOP UNIT AND ALSO HAVING A PAIR OF SIDE PORTIONS CONSTITUTING A FIRST PAIR OF LEGS, MEANS ROTATABLY CONNECTING THE BIGHT PORTION OF THE FIRST LEG MEMBER TO SAID RAIL, A SECOND INVERTED USHAPED LEG MEMBER HAVING A BIGHT PORTION ADJACENT TO AND PARALLEL WITH THE FRONT RAIL OF THE TOP UNIT AND ALSO HAVING A PAIR OF SIDE PORTIONS CONSTITUTING A SECOND PAIR OF LEGS, THE FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF LEGS BEING MUTUALLY CROSSED, PIVOT MEANS CONNECTING THE LEGS TOGETHER AT THEIR POINT OF CROSSING, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY CLAMPING THE BIGHT PORTION OF THE SECOND LEG MEMBER TO SAID FRONT RAIL WHEREBY TO SUPPORT THE DESK IN AN ERECTED POSITION, RELEASING OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS PERMITTING SAID LEG MEMBERS TO BE SWUNG TOGETHER ABOUT SAID PIVOT MEANS INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT FORM AND SAID TOP UNIT TO BE SWUNG DOWNWARDLY ABOUT SAID ROTATABLE CONNECTING MEANS TO A FLODED POSITION WHEREIN THE TOP UNIT IS JUXTAPOSED TO THE FOLDED LEG MEMBERS. 